Roles and responsibilities
- As one of the non-exec directors on the 大象传媒 Board, Michael is responsible for upholding and protecting the independence of the 大象传媒 by acting in the public interest and exercising independent judgement.
- He is also responsible for ensuring that the 大象传媒 fulfils its mission to inform, educate and entertain and promotes its public purposes.
- Michael helps ensure that the Board's decision-making is in the public interest, informed by the best interests of the audience and with appropriate regard to the impact of decisions on the wider media market in the UK.
- Non-executive directors play a key role in ensuring that the 大象传媒 maintains the highest standards of corporate governance, particularly with respect to financial reporting, internal control and risk management.
Term of appointment: 20 July 2023 鈥� 19 July 2027
Biography
Michael is an experienced lawyer and regulator. He was for 20 years a partner at international law firm Clifford Chance and head of the firm鈥檚 government and public policy practice, his assignments including the Hutton Inquiry and a number of high-profile corporate crises. His textbook on Business and the Human Rights Act was one of the first of its kind and he is joint author of works on political donations and sanctions law.
He has been Senior Independent Director at the Legal Services Board, the oversight regulator for the legal profession and a member of the Press Complaints Commission. He was also a founder director of the Fundraising Regulator, which regulates charity fundraising and was chair of its Complaints Committee. Amongst his many not-for-profit activities he was for a decade chair of Protect, the whistleblowing charity and also Community Links, the pioneering east London charity.
He is non-executive chair of Glastry Advisory Partners, a music management company. Michael was born and educated in Northern Ireland where he keeps a home.
Fees
The fees for non-executive directors of the 大象传媒 Board are set by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
Non-executive directors receive a base fee of 拢33,000 per annum.
Michael Smyth receives 拢5,000 p.a. as chair of the Northern Ireland Committee.
Total fees paid each year: 拢38,000 per annum.
Expenses and central bookings
Expenses are costs incurred by 大象传媒 staff on behalf of the 大象传媒 and claimed through the 大象传媒's expenses system.
Central bookings are costs incurred on behalf of the 大象传媒 and booked through the 大象传媒's central bookings system. Both expenses and central bookings are published every three months.
Downloads
- Michael Smyth had no expenses paid in Q2 2023-24
- Michael Smyth's central bookings Q3 2023-24
- Michael Smyth had no expenses paid in Q2 2023-24
- Michael Smyth had no expenses paid in Q1 2023-24
- Michael Smyth had no central bookings in Q1 2023-24
Gifts and Hospitality Register
Gifts and hospitality may only be accepted in line with 大象传媒 policy. Information about gifts and hospitality is published every three months.
Downloads
Declaration of personal interests
Staff must make a declaration of their personal and business interests, including any memberships or directorships of public or industry bodies, and any shareholdings, as well as any interests that their immediate families may also have.
A summary is published where there is something to declare and where there is nothing to declare. Occasionally an individual will have something to declare but due to the personal nature of the declaration we do not publish details as to do so would breach the General Data Protection Regulation.
This information is published annually, although if any amendments are made during the year an updated summary will be published if necessary as soon as it is available.